Improvement in elastic underlays for printing on glass



J. L. WELLS. ELASTIC-UNDERLAYS FOR PRINTIN No. 170,136.

G 0N GLASS. Patented Nov.16,18'15.

NZPEIERS, PHOTO-UTHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON, D C.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH L. WELLS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELASTIC UNDERLAVS FOR PRIN' I'ING ON GLASS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 170,! 36, datedNovember 16, 1875; application filed $eptember 17,1875. 1

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. WELLS, of

' Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a series of small elasticpads, a, by preference of rubber, of a quadrangular shape, and arrangedin rows a short distance apart, as shown. I, is the flat printing-block,which may be made of wood, mounted with such letters, figures, orornamental characters, in relief, as the design to be printed on theglass may require, the printing'surfaces being preferably of rubber orother'equivalent elastic material. D is the plate of glass to be printedon, and E is a sheet of pasteboard or other equivalent material, to theunder side of which are cemented or otherwise secured elastic pads to,similar to those on the sheet A. The printin g block Bis placed on thepads to of the said sheet A, the latter being, as before remarked,placed on or against the bed of the press, the

1 sheet E, with its pads, being attached to the platen of the press.

A sheet or sheets of thin paper may be interposed betweenthepads'a andthe glass D.

In using these appliances all that is necessary is to ink theprinting-surface of the block B, place the sheet of glass on the inkedsurface, and then apply the platen and impart to the same the requiredpressure.

Any ordinary printing-press may be used in connection with theabove-described appliances.

My invention is especially designed for printing on common glass, everysheet of which is, with rare exceptions, thicker in some parts thanothers, and has frequently a waved .for the purpose specified.

surface, so that its fracture would always be the best-yielding mediumis the series of pads arranged a short distance apart, so that each padshall act as an independent spring, which can yield ,without affectingthe neighboring pads, the spaces between the said pads permittin g themto expand laterally under pressure, without crowding on eachother.Hence, in the case of the pads on the platen, they will accommodatethemselves to the waved surface of the glass, While the printing-block Bwill, owing to its elastic support, accommodate itself to the varyingthickness of the sheet of glass; and all this tends to impart to thesame a uniform impression from the printing-surface, and at the sametime prevents the fracture of the glass, even if the printing-surface beof wood, although I generally use a surface of rubber.

I prefer to use the system of pads both on the bed and platen; butvaluable results as regards obviating the fracture of the glass andobtaining an uniform impression may be at tained by using the pads inconnection with the bed only, or on the platen only.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with a flat printingblock,B, of a series of elastic pads, a, arranged ashort distance apart fromeach other and interposed between the flat bed of a printing-press andthe said printing-block, as and 2. The combination of a series ofelastic pads, to, with a flat printing-block, B, and with the platen ofa printing-press, between which and the said block the pads areinterposed, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH L. WELLS.

Witnesses: I

HUBERT HowsoN, HARRY SMITH.

